There are many dogs who are capable of becoming a Service Dog. Not every dog can handle the job, and it certainly does take a special dog to become one. A dog of any breed can be a Service Dog. I’ll be discussing the life of my service dog although I won’t go into detail about why I have her. Service Dogs live a hard working but rewarding and fun life.
The standard breeds most commonly seen as Service Dogs are Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Poodles, and German Shepherds. These are what many organizations will train although there are some who will train other breeds. Just because someone has a small dog such as a chihuahua or a French Bulldog, doesn’t make their disability or service dog a fake. What makes a dog a service dog is them being trained for obedience and task trained to help a person with a disability.
Disabilities come in different forms, from physical to mental disabilities. You need to be disabled and unable to do something in order to have a service dog. Just having an obedient dog that can perform a task doesn’t make them a service dog UNLESS it mitigates your disability in some way, shape, or form.
My Service Dog
My service dog is a German Shepherd and she is still in training. I’m working my hardest to raise funds and save up to complete her training with professional service dog trainers. Any and all help and kind words are appreciated. Service dogs aren’t cheap but they are invaluable. They serve the purpose as “medical equipment”. For me she is part of my treatment plan but also will be a lifelong or at least long term solution. That is, having a service dog at all times will be the case, she will eventually have to retire as she gets older but luckily she is young with plenty of life left in her.
Emotional Support Animals
Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are not a Service Animal. An Emotional Support Animal offer comfort, don’t need to be trained, and do not have public access. Another thing to understand is that any registry you see online is fake and are scams. Do understand that ESAs are allowed to fly. Should you live in no pet housing and need an ESA, one needs to request reasonable accommodation. You’re able to find more information for either of these under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) or Fair Housing Act (FHA).
Support a Service Dog
